In German, gestalt literally means "form". In psychology, the term
refers specifically to the unifying forms and configurations that the mind naturally creates, with properties that are inevitably greater than the sum of their parts. Understanding gestaltic organizing principles can be of considerable aid when designing the layout of visual information. Failure to consider these principles may lead to layouts that subtly confuse the objectives of the presentation. Some common gestaltic organizing principles are illustrated on the following pages.